Obokata Scandal Puts Research in Peril

The STAP stem cell research scandal has exposed a number of important issues fundamental to science and the politics of science. Critically, it poses questions about the apparent lack of research rigor in Japan.

TOKYO — Front-page headlines, tweets, TV news shows, and tabloids in Japan this week were agog about a Japanese researcher accused of fabricating parts of scientific papers hailed as breakthroughs in stem cell research.

You've probably heard about it. I heard because I happened to be in Japan this week. The Japanese news media's wolfpack instinct of attacking a stray female caught out in the open was remarkable. Everything I despise in the mob mentality of the Japanese press and its audience was on full display.

Still, the story captivated me.

The scientist persecuted in this still-unfolding story is Haruko Obokata of the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe. She led a team who reported that a simple acid bath might turn cells in the body into stem cells -- except, not so much.

Obviously, it's hard for anyone to resist a story about the downfall of a precocious researcher hailed as a national hero only several weeks before. But as it unfolded, the story exposed a number of important issues fundamental to science and the politics of science. Most importantly, it posed questions about the apparent lack of research rigor in Japan.

The journal Nature published the research results in January. Besides the Riken Center, participants in the study included Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School. Shortly after the alleged breakthrough, a flurry of comments questioning whether Obokata was able to replicate the stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) stem cells surfaced in the global scientific community (and the social networks here in Japan).

The suspicion was triggered by Obokata's sloppy methodologies -- some careless, others bordering on unethical. An image showing a genome analysis appeared to have been spliced together. Images of two placentas from two different experiments looked almost identical. Two more images appeared to have been duplicated from Obokata's 2011 doctoral dissertation, even though the study said they were derived from an entirely different experiment.

Obokata's employer, Riken, a semi-governmental research institute, began investigating the matter in March. Last week, it announced that it had found her guilty of fabrication, and it apologized for behavior that had damaged the credibility of Japan's scientific community.

What did the news conference prove?
On Wednesday, Obokata held a news conference and apologized for her mistakes, which she said were due to her inexperience. However, she denied that she had acted deliberately.

"More than anything, the experiments properly took place," she told reporters. "As the data actually exists, I want to clarify that I did not create these papers with ill intent." She also said she was able to replicate STAP stem cells more than 200 times.

The live TV broadcast of Obokata's nearly two-hour-long press conference (shades of Chris Christie), packed with reporters and photographers, was… entertaining at best, not for new discoveries, but as theater.

As I watched, I was disappointed that Obokata didn't come prepared to offer any fresh evidence (raw data) that could have proved that STAP cells exist. The question-and-answer session turned into a mere war of words.

Who has your back?
I can't help but wonder why none of Obokata's co-authors showed up to face the press. Reportedly, one Japanese co-author is even proposing to retract the study.

Another co-author, Charles Vacanti of Harvard Medical School, told The New York Times, "I continue to feel that the findings presented in these papers are too significant to disregard based on relatively minor errors or external pressures." He also said he'd talk to the other authors before making a recommendation.

That makes sense to me. Why are the rest of the co-authors keeping mum? Why is nobody standing by his own work?

As much as I lament Obokata's sloppiness, which tarnished her research results, I also question the hasty investigation carried out by her elders at Riken and their apparent eagerness to wash their hands and move on. The Japanese institution announced last week that it plans to conduct its own research on STAP stem cells (most likely without Obokata). However, for the immediate future, it seems to have no interest in tracing whatever evidence is still stored in the lab to prove or disprove that Obokata's STAP cells actually exist.

This doesn't seem logical.

To all appearances, Riken is practicing, not science, but the politics of science (not to be confused with political science). As I noted earlier, this is a semi-governmental research institute. Known as a researchers' paradise in Japan, Riken needs to secure budgets from the government. Perhaps this explains its skittishness. But that's no excuse for compounding Obokata's lack of rigor with a less than rigorous investigation.

In the end, in any scientific and engineering research, it's clear that peer review -- buttressed by an established code of conduct -- is the gold standard. The convenience of cherry picking favorable data shouldn't trump hard evidence.

At the same time, it's my belief that, whether you are a researcher or an engineer, you need to know that your employer will have your back. Otherwise, it's hard to stick your neck out, even when that's the right -- and possibly historic -- thing to do.

Riken failed in that test. Perhaps, if the culture there had been healthier, the implicit trust that should have prevailed between Obokata and her employer would have kept her from cutting the corners that undercut her research.

There is also a culture of shame situation going on which is probably the overriding factor driving this behavior.

I'm a long time resident of Japan, having worked in many large Japanese companies as well as having been involved in some university settings, and I would put this down to the "culture of shame" as opposed to one of "science." In Japan one of the worst possible offenses is one that brings shame and embarrassment (murder, rape and other such crimes excepted, though of course those too bring shame). The reason the management at Riken came down so hard and mercilessly on Obokata is because they were ashamed and felt embarrassed.

This is also why the general public in Japan probably has a more favorable impression, or at least probably supports Obokata more than Riken is because they see that.

It's obvious to everyone that Riken didn't investigate the substance simply because they did it so quickly. This begs the question of perhaps shouldn't the investigators be investigated themselves for unethical behavior and sloppiness?

The problem with the culture of shame is that more often than not it causes people to dig themselves into a deeper hole, especially en masse as an institution or even as a nation. It's the same reason the Japanese can't seem to come across truly sincere when trying to resolve situations that actually are shameful or embarrassing - major issues that affect the country's economic well-being and future such as their relations with China and Korea in resolving once and for all past war grievances.

They don't come across sincerely because the main aim is to cover up shame, even if it is only just form - the pretense is more important than the fact, even if it's transparent to all but the most zealous.

The reason you had your reaction to this case is because it is obvious that Riken was and still is not sincere. This is what the public sees.

Some Japanese think this is unique and wrapped up in a sense of honor, respect, responsibility, and priority of the group over the individual, but it is actually a rather commonplace phenomenon we in the West might refer to as CYA, or corporate buck-passing, or how the Catholic church in the past reacted the crimes of pedophiles.

It is rather amazing though how badly Riken came across, all of which could have been avoided by simply being a bit more thoughtful instead of getting so wrapped up in outrage and sanctimony, however disingenuous, at being caught out so shamefully.

The thing of it is that Riken's reaction was more shameful than the transgression itself - if and when we find out what actually happened, and if these STAP stem cells experiments can actually be replicated. An investigation of the investigators by the investigators' friends excluding Obokata, etc... etc... isn't likely to get to the bottom of it, because Riken is now in the midst of trying to cover up the shame of covering up the shame, which is more important to them than anything that actually went on. The only way for them to do that is to make it look like no successful experiments ever took place.

Another part of this story is, undoubtedly, about the woman in science.

It's possible that there is an element of truth to what you say here, Junko, but I wouldn't overstate the point. The claim made here was as significant today, as the claims made back in 1989 by Pons and Fleischmann were back then (on cold fusion, which immediately came to mind). When such important results are immediately shown to be suspect, because no one else can replicate them, you will get exactly this sort of reaction.

I'm pretty sure that if either Pons or Fleischmann, or both, had been women, someone would have suggested that they were given overly negative press just because they were women.

I'm sure this sort of thing happens often, but not usually on really significant research -- the kind of research the average joe can appreciate. I'd say, had Obokata not been working on stem cell research, or other similarly glamorous topic du jour, the popular press may not even have noticed.

This world likes scandal a lot. That paper has some really important contributions. It is like our political system. One sentence error and you are gone. Why not give her support and see if she fails as she appears genuine in her convinction. The Harvard professors that came up with 90% debt limit for economy to crash were not seen as frauds, this lady should not also. Errors happen and we are humans.

Dr. Hwang Woo-suk was involved in a stem-cell related scandal before as well, but more to do with cloning. Why is stem-cell research so vulnerable to these types of scandals? So easy to fool people and so much to gain?

Researchers who work on stem cells spend day and night to get their experiments done and are extremely cautious of details. Also their work is often reviewd by senior researchers so its quite surprising what happened.

Another part of this story is, undoubtedly, about the woman in science.

Although I didn't dwell on it in this blog (because there were other points I wanted to make), Ifelt really terrible about how the media went after her (largely because she is a woman, young, and pretty).

@isao0, so I heard too as I left Japan yesterday. Yes, I am curious to find out what he would say.
For those who don't know who Sasai is he is group director of the Laboratory for Organogenesis and Neurogenesis at the RIKEN center and coauthor of both studies on STAP cells.